Square
Meal for a Square Deal

Fine Dining at Modest Prices

by John Mariani

An
extravagant but affordable dish from Moshulu in Philadelphia

Believe
it or not, I honestly think it is easier to dine well at a modest
price today than ever before. I should add that it is also easier
to pay more than ever before, with main courses in many
upscale restaurants, including steakhouses, edging into the $40
range. At Alain Ducasse’s new MIX in Las
Vegas, there is a rib-eye steak topped with foie gras and truffle
sauce that sells for $75 per person — which, of course, would
be just a run-of-the-mill tab for even an appetizer at a first-class
restaurant in Paris!

Still
I contend that you can eat splendidly well in the U.S. — especially
if you take advantage of fixed-price and tasting menus, which can
cost well less than that $75 rib-eye. And if you go for lunch, the
bargains can be astounding.

A
Spiaggia steak

In
New York City, which some might consider the most expensive city
in America, there is great food to be had in ethnic neighborhoods
like Chinatown, the Italian community of Arthur Avenue and the Greek
community in Astoria. But even in midtown Manhattan, great deals
abide. Much as I love the grilled Greek seafood at the incredibly
expensive Estiatorio
Milos, I am happier still to find the same high quality
at Ethos (495 Third Ave., 212-252-1971) at a much
lower price, and in a much friendlier, taverna-like atmosphere.
Owners John Capetanos, John Colombus, Kyriakos Depountis and chef
Costas Avlonitis are clearly the kinds of restaurateurs who treat
every customer with genuine respect. From dishes like tender octopus skaras grilled over charcoal with olive oil and lemon to
some of the best spanakopita I've ever tasted, the food
here is superlative. Choose among impeccably grilled tsipoura (porgy), kalogria (sea bass), barbounia (red mullet), lavraki (striped bass) and others. With a good bottle of
Agiorgitiko, I am as happy as Alcaeus when he wrote, "Throw
a log on the fire and mix the flattering wine." With appetizers
from $6 to $13, main courses $14 to $24, and whole fish priced by
the pound from $14 to $19, this is a remarkable and wonderful place
to feast in midtown.

Manhattan
and its surroundings have more restaurants serving Italian food
than any other cuisine (and supposedly more than Florence), but
many now charge in excess of $20 for a plate of pasta. One of the
newest and best, however, Lisca (660 Amsterdam
Ave., 212-799-3987), is a darling storefront on the Upper West Side
whose modest décor and size are reminiscent of the best,
true trattorie in Italy. Chef Aldo Monosi is always bounding
about the room making sure you are enjoying yourself. I think Lisca
is setting a real standard for Italian cooking in the city, which
is too often caught up in trendy new ways to make pizza or put caviar
and smoked salmon into pastas. Instead, you will find imagination
and tradition seamlessly married in dishes like pan-seared scallops
with cauliflower puree and truffle oil ($12); rigatoni with hot
and sweet sausage, peas and a creamy tomato sauce ($10); and a traditional
Tuscan stew, called cacciucco, abundant with five fish,
at only $24. Even the massive osso buco here, served with risotto
alla Milanese, is only $24.

Moshulu

I
am not much for tourist attractions that happen to serve food, but Moshulu in Philadelphia, a 100-year-old, 394-foot, four-masted sailing ship
anchored at Penn's Landing, now has a restaurant among the best
in Philly, thanks to owner Martin Grims and chef-partner Ralph Fernandez.
Plus, you get a wonderful sense of maritime history and a grand
view of the city.

There
are several dining rooms here, and, of course, plenty of banquet
facilities and private dining areas, some outdoors on the deck.
Big-hearted in his portions, skidding just shy of showing off too
much, Fernandez makes food based on impeccably reduced sauces and
superb ingredients. So when you begin with a lobster bisque with
a touch of Amontillado, minced chives and truffled shrimp salsa
($10), you taste how he can take a rich, creamy classic and give
it a contemporary flair very much his own. His Latino roots show
well in his venison taco, with a roasted-garlic-and-Parmesan croustade
with warm chorizo sausage and a Ca

esar salad dressing ($9). Supremely
succulent white truffle-glazed Lancaster chicken with a wild mushroom
crepe and Madeira jus is a triumph, especially at just $22. Swordfish
($26) is tender, succulent and infused with the scent of apple-smoked
bacon, with French lentils and a port reduction. Moshulu has a very
good and fairly tariffed wine list. Prices for appetizers run $6.95
to $12.95, with entrées between $22 and $32.

Café
Spiaggia

Unquestionably
one of the finest Italian restaurants in the U.S. is Spiaggia,
a posh dining room overlooking Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.
At the adjacent Café
Spiaggia, I find the food every bit as delicious, if
not quite so lavish, and also much cheaper. Both restaurants are
overseen by chef Tony Mantuano, and the wine list by sommelier Henry
Bishop, who simply won't ever let you make the wrong choice, whatever
your budget is.

Chef
Tony Mantuano

Mantuano and Café chef Richard Camarota
consistently hit the nail with simple but richly flavorful classic
Italian dishes somewhat above the trattoria level but still keeping
simplicity foremost in mind. Nantucket bay scallops, lusciously
sweet in their own right, are lightly marinated with lemon, olive
oil and a sprinkling of thyme; grilled sardines are treated to a
fresh salsa verde; the Abruzzese spaghetti alla chitarra comes with
a lusty sauce of braised duck, while fat agnolotti are stuffed with
fennel pollen and crispy veal breast. Equally rustic, authentic
and satisfying are such main courses as a wood-roasted flatiron
steak with creamy polenta and porcini, and saddle of lamb with spinach
and white beans. Desserts include a bittersweet chocolate semifreddo
and happy little Italian sweet fritters with a moscato grappa zabaglione.
Appetizers in the Café run $7 to $14, entrees $20 to $27.

Take
the above restaurants as inspirational examples to help you seek
out meals that are every bit as delicious as they are reasonably
priced.

John
Mariani is well known for his frank and poignant
writing in Esquire, Wine Spectator, Diversion and the Harper Collection.
He is author of The Encyclopedia of American Food
& Drink, The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink and co-author, with his wife, of the Italian-American
Cookbook.